This short story is entirely from a mentor of mine, James Leath. James is a full time coach and wonderful person… here is a link to his site. Unleash the Athlete – James Leath. I decided to share this story now because I coach High School sports. There are many instances as a soccer coach where I’ve had to put a player in a position he doesn’t think fits him or is his strength. However this is where growth comes from… and it also answers the question “Am I being the best player for my team, or trying to be the best player on the team?”
BEGIN… It was a beautiful morning, and a young boy walks onto an empty baseball field with a bat in one hand and a baseball in the other.He confidently walks to the batters-box and shouts, “I am the greatest hitter in the world!” He tosses the ball up, intending to knock it out of the park. After completing his mighty swing, the ball falls to the ground, “Strike one,” he mumbles.The boy picks the ball up and once again exclaims, “I am the greatest hitter in the world!” He misses. “Strike two,” he whispers to himself.This determined boy reaches down and snatches the ball up, takes a slow deep breath, and visualizes himself hitting a home run. He shouts from the top of his lungs, tosses the ball into the air, and yells“I AM THE GREATEST HITTER IN THE WORLD!” His swing is perfect on the third attempt, but the ball evades his bat once again for strike three.The boy, now dejected, slowly picks up the ball and blankly stares at the ball. He doesn’t understand how such a thing could have happened when it hit him—“I am the greatest pitcher in the world!”The boy had to change what he told himself. He assessed the situation, looked at what was working for him, then changed his belief about what was going on.One of our main roles as a coach is the definer of meaning. When our team is victorious against a superior opponent or is defeated at the hands of a lesser skilled opponent, our athletes look to us to find meaning in that experience. When something happens in the world, it is often our voice as coaches that help orient our athletes in times of confusion.The voice of a coach echoes for a lifetime. Sports are a microcosm of life, and we have the privileged of providing meaning to those that call us coach. It is a big deal, just like your coaches were (and still are) a big deal. Remember the first time one of your old coaches asked you to call them by their first name? I do! I am a grown man, and I still find it awkward to call certain men and women in my life by their first name when I knew them as a child by Coach. (I’m looking at you, Coach Crough!)Your influence never goes away. Be intentional about how you respond in your interactions with the ones who call you Coach. They will remember your response (good or bad) for the rest of their life. Again, check out James’ site here: https://www.utathlete.com/ – James Leath
